Whitney Houston’s Autopsy Revealed

America was taken back by the sudden death of musical icon Whitney Houston. Houston’s unexpected death came on February 11, 2012. Houston had struggled with a highly publicized use of cocaine. She had been in the news several times for cocaine use with her then husband Bobby Brown.

CNN reports that Houston’s body was found face down in her hotel bathtub, with only 12 inches of “extremely hot water.” The autopsy showed that Houston’s drowning had been due to “effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use.” The Los Angeles County autopsy was cut short in details about the singer’s death. CNN acquired the help of addiction medicine specialist, Dr. Drew Pinsky. Pinsky implied that Houston could have surcome to a seizure due to the use of cocaine. She could have also been combined with alcohol and another prescription drug.

Pinsky said, “To me, a sudden drop off in the Xanax level, a drop off in your alcohol consumption, add cocaine, that’s a recipe for a seizure”and “Somebody who’s now upside down in a bathtub could easily seize and drown.” An empty bottle of Xanax and empty beer bottles were found in her hotel room. Due to Houston being found face down in hot water, multiple minor burns were found on her face. Also, in the autopsy signs of minor heart disease were found, but it was said that it was not a contributing factor.

When blood was drawn from Houston during her autopsy traces of cocaine were found in it. It was determined that Houston used cocaine moments prior to her death. A spoon was found with white powder along with a piece of paper rolled up in her hotel bathroom. Traces of cocaine were also found on her bathroom counter, drawer, and at the bottom of her mirror. Several prescribed pill bottles were also recovered in her room.

Besides cocaine, a test indicated that marijuana, Xanax, Flexeril, and Benadryl were found in her system. The last time that Houston was seen alive was by her personal assistant. She was seen in her hotel room at 3pm. When her assistant came back to get Houston at 3:35 pm, who was supposed to be getting ready for a Pre-Grammy party, Houston was found face down in her bathtub. Houston was not moving. Paramedics were called and arrived 10 minutes later. By 3:55 she was pronounced dead.

Whitney Houston was well-known for her soulful voice and recognized most for her hits “I Will Always Love You” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” She was a multi-platinum recording artist and actor. Houston has sold over 170 million records. Houston’s funeral was broadcast live on CNN, and viewed by several millions. Several artists such as Jennifer Hudson, have done tributes for Whitney. America was stunned by her unanticipated death, and it is sad to see that her publicized “demons” contributed to her untimely death.